In other news, I'm watching Gankutsuou right now and it's phenomenal. It starts at the carnival where Albert and Franz meet the Count, only it's not Rome; it's the moon. It is incredibly close to the original, including picayune details like the pillbox carved out of one giant emerald.

Selling encyclopedias is a tough gig for Alfredo. But there may be light at the end of the tunnel when he and his wife, Carmen, are approached by his publisher to star in a series of erotic films (thinly veiled as instructional videos about reproduction). The films are a hit in Scandinavia, and Carmen becomes a porn star. But now, she wants out … and wants to have a baby with Alfredo! Stars Javier Camara and Candela Peña. Pablo Berger directs.

I wonder if Bryan Cranston is gonna get a 4th consecutive Emmy for it. (I will not count this year's Emmys as breaking his streak, since the 4th season was not within the timeframe for this year's awards.)

__________________Hear me / and if I close my mind in fear / please pry it openSee me / and if my face becomes sincere / bewareHold me / and when I start to come undone / stitch me togetherSave me / and when you see me strut / remind me of what left this outlaw torn

Based on a recommendation from Demimonde, I watched Fido on Netflix this weekend. It's like Pleasantville with domesticated zombies. I thought it had kind of a Tim Burton vibe with the colors and the music and the totally dark fuckedupness, like Edward Scissorhands.

Being Elmo: A Puppeteer's Journey. I saw it on PBS a couple of weeks ago and even though I've never watched Sesame Street or The Muppet Show, I was totally enchanted by Kevin Clash's story. All must watch.

Being Elmo: A Puppeteer's Journey. I saw it on PBS a couple of weeks ago and even though I've never watched Sesame Street or The Muppet Show, I was totally enchanted by Kevin Clash's story. All must watch.

I've seen that guy in interviews and he is so fun! I liked when he talked about other kids' dads swearing their elmo "impression" is better than his.

It's not too late, though! The Muppet Show is probably on Netflix or the Internet somewhere and it's a show for grow ups. Amazing guest stars and topical humor and political commentary. It still holds up, plus there's also chickens! Have you seen any of the movies or anything? They are so good!

Maybe you northerners got it, but they didn't show it down south. We got anime instead.

We had both Sesame Street and the Muppet Show. They dubbed Sesame Street and subtitled the Muppets.

Also when I first learned Arabic they showed us the Arab version with Badr and Anis (Bert and Ernie). Then the same year I was in a hotel in Syria where the owner's name was Badr and his sidekick was his nephew Anis.

The Muppet Show was distributed by ITC Entertainment, which IIRC was notoriously weird in its syndication/distribution methods. So it's understandable that it wasn't properly broadcast in your neck of the woods, although still unconscionable and damn them to hell.

Netflix has the discs but nothing available for streaming. Hulu never heard of the Muppets prior to the new flim. Most of the movies are rentable on Amazon Prime, with the exception of the best, the original, The Muppet Movie, 1979.

Anyhow, there is an fantastic series that Henson did on Netflix that many might not have seen. The Storyteller was originally aired on HBO in 1988 and featured John Hurt as the title role. Each episode he would tell a traditional European folk tale, brought to life by the magicians of the Creature Shop. They are truly amazing and beautiful.

The second season after Henson left was to focus on Greek myths. Four episodes were made before the project ended. Those are also on Netflix instant.